No Other Choice
by Sable Supernova
Summary: Someone was spreading rumours about Lily, and James stepped in to put a stop to it. "James Sirius Potter," he told me, "You've inherited two great legacies. It's all you can do to live up to them."


**Written for the Card Will Tell Your Fate Challenge where I was given James S Potter, the genre family/humour, the line "I smile because you are my sister, I laugh because you have no other choice." and the title.**

**Please R&amp;R!**

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When my parents received the first letter from Professor McGonagall because I'd pulled a silly prank and landed myself in trouble, they weren't surprised. My Uncle George had told me he was proud, even, with a grin on his ageing face.

"James Sirius Potter," he told me, "You've inherited two great legacies. It's all you can do to live up to them." He'd ruffled my hair as my mother rolled her eyes and pretended she hadn't heard.

But that was three years ago, and I'd only gotten more elaborate since. My sister, Lily, hated it. She was in second year, four years behind me, and we were both in Gryffindor. It wasn't often that I turned my attention to the younger students, but today was her special day.

At breakfast, I was grinning from ear to ear as I thought over the brilliancy of my plan. Christopher Jordan, my best friend, came to sit next to me and immediately asked what I was planning.

"Later, Chris," I told him, "Not here." My eyes glanced over to the Ravenclaw table where my brother Albus was giving me a curious look. He knew me too well for his own good. I smiled, and looked back to my breakfast.

The thing was, Lily hated my pranks. She would shout at me until she was red in the face and I'd just smile and shrug my shoulders. She hated it when I did that.

But she didn't realise how much I knew about her. She ignored me, and so she thought I ignored her, too, but I didn't. So when she'd fallen out with her friend last week, I'd seen. And when that friend started telling lies about my sister to anyone who would listen, I heard. I guess that old scar on the back of my dad's hand, _I must not tell lies_, had spurred me to action.

It started as the chatter had begun to die down before everyone started to leave for lessons. It may have been malicious, but this girl, Camille Zabini, deserved the worst. She needed taking down a peg or two. My smile faded as the first white lie was whispered over the crowd.

"Don't waste your time on Malfoy, everyone knows he's gay," her voice rang, perfectly. This one brought a little laughter, and I felt a little smug as a certain blonde Slytherin looked affronted.

"Sarah Vane cheated on her OWLs so she would make it into Longbottom's class this year." A Hufflepuff girl went red in the face. Zabini was beginning to lose her air of cool as she realised what was happening. The lies came quicker, soon over-lapping each other. Faces began to turn towards Camille, her long dark hair that she wore like a curtain not keeping her safe anymore. Everything she'd ever said about anyone, that I knew about, shared with the whole crowd. Enough to prove that none of them were true.

She stood and ran from the room while silence fell, but the silence didn't last long. The murmur began and soon I couldn't hear myself think over the dim. As the Headmistress, McGonogall took to the stage, she commanded us all to pay attention.

"It is said that lies reflect more prominently on the teller than the subject. While that may be true, a member of our School was victimised just now, and the School Rules are expressively against such behaviour. The perpetrator will be found, and punished accordingly. Now please make your way to classes." She took a step down, and everyone knew that meant the matter was over. I began to make my way to my first lesson, Defence against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs. Then I saw Lily walking towards me.

"What was that?" she asked.

"What was what?" I asked back, avoiding her eye.

"I fell out with her a week ago and she started spreading rumours about me, and now she's ridiculed in front of the whole School? This has your name written all over it," she argued, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Maybe," I replied.

"You arrogant toerag! You can't pick on people like that!" she shouted, and I couldn't help it, I started laughing. "Why are you smiling? Why are you laughing?"

"I smile because you're my sister, Lilykins. I laugh because you have no other choice," I said and ruffled her hair.

"You just wait until mum hears about this!" she shouted before beginning to walk off.

"Lily, wait! Don't tell mum, please!" I called after her, but my words fell on deaf ears.


End file.
